Milford Township History

The Birth of Milford Township
It is believed the name Milford arose from the large number of mills
and fords located on the several streams of the township. The area's first
settlers, aside from the Indian tribes, were Mennonites who came here around
1712 or earlier from Germany. William Penn sent English and Welsh people
to live here and they were later joined by Lutheran and Reformed people
from the Palatenate in Germany and Swiss and French Huguenots. The township
is comprised of the villages of Brick Tavern, Finland, Geryville, Milford
Square, Mumbauersville, Spinnerstown, and Steinsburg. The town of Trumbauerville
located in the center of the township is an independent borough and is
not now considered to be part of
Milford Township.

Brick Tavern
The village of Brick Tavern is named for the tavern built in 1818 by
Henry Shelley. Shelley was a descendant of one of the earliest groups of
Mennonites to settle in the township about 1720. The Brick Tavern Inn (still
in operation today) was located on one of the main stagecoach routes between
Allentown and Philadelphia. The bricks for the tavern are said to have
been fired on the site as red clay for bricks and for pottery such as redware
is abundant in this area of PA.

Finland
Amid the trees and huge rock formations which abound in the southwest
corner of Milford Township lies the village of Finland. This spot was often
referred to in the Roaring 20's as the "Poconos of Philadelphia" and as
"The Fineland". It is from this latter name that the post office put it
on the map as Finland in 1886. Many summer camps were operated here over
the years such as Camp Oaks on Nursery Road, Camp Silver Moon (operated
as a Boy Scout camp), Camp Cedar Hill at Red Bridge, and the one still
in operation today - Camp Men-O-Lan.

Geryville
Originally this area was known as Aurora but the name was changed to
Geryville in 1871 after the postmaster, Jesse Gery. In the center of this
small village stands the former Geryville Publick House (now known as theThatched
Inn). This tavern played a vital part in the Whiskey Rebellion of 1779
(otherwise known as the Fries Rebellion.)

Milford Square
This town is located in the center of Milford Township and ws formerly
known as Heistville until 1850. Earliest settlers were Mennonites from
the Palatinate in Germany by the name of Clemmers (or Clymers) and Schelles
(or Shellys). There were many mills in this town (hence the name) situated
along the Licking Creek, a branch of the Unami Creek. Rosenberger Mill,
Clover Leaf Mill, the D.S. Heist Grist Mill, Roth Mill, the Henry Blyler
Mill, the J.S. Schull Grist Mill (later Potts Mill), Fochts Mill (later
Campbell's Mill) and Achey's Mill which is still standing and serves as
a private residence.

Mumbauersville
This small village lies east of Geryville and was once the site of
a prosperous cigar making business, as were most of the villages of Milford
Township at that time.

Spinnerstown
This town takes its name from the Spinner Family who settled there
in 1753. David Spinner (born in 1758) was a potter who practiced the art
of sgraffito on redware using the red clay of the area. His house stands
across from the Spinnerstown Hotel, formerly known as "The Sign of the
Spread Eagle" which was also run by members of the Spinner Family -first
David in the 1840's, and later his son Edwin in 1853. The hotel has been
owned by the Dale family since 1959 and is a favorite dining spot for many.

Steinsburg
Located on the toll road from Philadelphia to Allentown (now Allentown
Road) the town takes its name from the 1834 owner of its hotel, George
Steinman. This town boasted a tannery, a coach maker, a butcher, a blacksmith,
a grist mill, and a creamery. Over the years there were three homes which
served as undertakers. Erdman's Bottling Works where soft drinks were made
was in operation from 1929 to the early 1960's. Today there are no businesses
in operation in this section of Milford Township but it remains a lovely
place to visit at the intersection of Allentown and Steinsburg Rds.